Chairs and tables and other structures made especially for patio and lawn use are typically comprised of frame members which are connected together in some suitable fashion, generally by nuts and bolts, to simplify the assembly of the frame members. For the most part, these frame members are coupled together at a factory before being shipped to retailers remote from the factory. This manner of assembly and shipping has been followed for many years to avoid having to assemble the frame members by the retailers or by purchasers of the structures formed when the frame members are assembled. In many cases, the designs of such structures require some expertise in the assembly to assure proper connection of adjacent frame members as well as to eliminate te need for assembly by the retailers or purchasers. While this is satisfactory in many cases, assembly by the supplier of the structures adds to the overall cost of the structures and this cost is passed on to the retailers or purchasers.
It has come to the attention of suppliers of structures of this type that, if chairs, for instance, could be shipped in a knocked down condition and then quickly assembled either by retailers or purchasers, the cost of the chairs could be reduced so that the price would be more attractive to the retailers and purchasers. As a result, a greater volume of chairs would be sold. However, to achieve this aim, it has been determined that a need exists for means for quickly assembling the frame members of chairs and the like while providing a positive connection between the frame members. The present invention satisfies this need.